Breaker strip and control assembly



F. R. ECK

BREAKER STRIP AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY March 1, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 16, 1951 INVENTOR. FL OYD R ECK ATTOR N EYS March}, 1955 ECK 2,703,353

BREAKER STRIP AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY Filed April 16, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS F. R. ECK

BREAKER STRIP AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY March 1, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 16, 1951 INVENTOR.

FLOYD R EGK ATTO EYS United States Patent 2,703,353 BREAKER STRIP AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY Floyd R. Eek, Des Plaines, Ill., assignor to Motor Products Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of New York Application April 16, 1951, Serial No. 221,301 8 Claims. (Cl. 200-168) The present inventionrelates to the art of refrigeration, and more particularly to a breaker strip and control assembly for use in a refrigerator cabinet.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a breaker strip and control assembly wherein the parts thereof are so constructed and arranged that they may be easily assembled into an attractive unit capable of being readily connected to the inner liner and outer shell of a refrigerator cabinet.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying draw- .11

ings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a refrigerator embodying the present invention, shown with the front door or closure removed.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view on the line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the refrigerator with the several breaker strips removed.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the combined breaker strip and control assembly.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55, Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a front elevational view of an escutcheon plate used in the breaker strip and control assembly.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the escutcheon plate shown in Figure 6. a

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8, Figure 6.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 is a refrigerator cabinet having an outer shell 11, an inner liner 12, and suitable insulation 13 therebetween. Preferably the inner liner 12 provides a food storage compartment 14 and has the usual access opening 15 at the front thereof normally closed by a hingedly mounted door (not shown). For spanning the space between the inner liner 12 and the outer shell 11 I have provided a top breaker strip 18, side breaker strips and 22, and a bottom breaker strip 24 which are all preferably formed from white polystyrene plastic material.

The present invention is concerned primarily with the construction of the top breaker strip 18 and the association therewith of certain control mechanism subsequently to be described.

At the front of the cabinet, preferably at the margins of the access opening 15 to the storage compartment 14, the liner 12 is provided with a lateral flange 26, and the outer shell 11 is provided in outwardly offset relation to the lateral flange 26 with a lateral flange 28. As shown, this flange 28 has a double thickness of metal and such double thickness is continued along the inner face of the outer shell to a point inwardly of the flange 26 and terminates in a lateral flange 30. Preferably, the lateral flange 26 of the liner is provided at the corners of the storage compartment 12 with extensions 27 that are connected to brackets 29 fixed to the outer shell. Said flange 26 is also provided at spaced points thereof with elongated openings 30.

Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, the top breaker strip 18 is inverted U shape in configuration and extends across the top and part way down each side of the access opening of the storage compartment 12. At the outer edge of this breaker strip 18 throughout its length is a forked portion 38 that straddles the flange 28 of the outer shell, while at the inner edge of said breaker strip, preferably at longitudinally spaced points thereof, are hook shaped lugs 40 that engage in the openings 30 in the flange 26 of the inner liner. Preferably, the forked 2,703,353 Patented Mar. 1, 1955 "ice , storage compartment 14 is a relatively large opening 42 shaped to receive a decorative escutcheon plate 44. Details of the escutcheon plate are best seen in Figures 6-8 in which the escutcheon plate 44 is provided with a central opening 46 having rearwardly turned edges as seen in Figures 5 and 8 for receiving and guidingly supporting the shank 47 of a control knob later to be de scribed. Directly beneath the opening 46 is an arcuate opening 48 for a purpose which will subsequently be described. The escutcheon plate 44 is provided with a rearwardly extending marginal flange 50 for engagement with the opening 42 in the breaker strip 18, and has vertically spaced vertically disposed flanges 52 and 54.

Located rearwardly of the escutcheon plate 44 and carried thereby is suitable temperature control mechanism indicated generally at 62 for regulating the operation of the motor-compressor unit (not shown) of the refrigerator. Such control mechanism 62 may be operatively connected in any suitable manner to the motorcompressor unit of the refrigerator. Preferably, the control mechanism 62 has a forwardly extending bracket 64 provided with out-turned cars 66 adapted to be fastened by screws 68 to the vertical flanges 52 and 54 of the escutcheon plate 44. The control mechanism 62 also includes a rotary operating shaft 70 extending forwardly therefrom. The shank 47 of a control knob 72 extends through the central opening 46 located in the escutcheon plate 44 and is provided with a socket portion 76 nonrotatively receiving the forwardly extending shaft 70 so that the control mechanism may be operated by the Located rearwardly of the escutcheon plate 44 is a dial 80 having indicia 82 thereon. This dial 80 is non-rotatively sleeved upon a reduced portion 84 of the knob shank and is held in place by means of a speed nut type of retainer ring 86 also sleeved on said intermediate portion 84 of the knob shank. The rearwardly turned edges of opening 46 form abutments spacing the dial 80 rearwardly from the rear surface of the escutcheon plate. The indicia 82 is disposed upon the dial 80 circumferentially thereof and is visible through the arcuate opening 48 in the escutcheon 44.

It will of course be understood that the refrigerator includes a refrigerant condenser 92 and a refrigerant evaporator 90 which are operatively connected in the usual manner to the compressor of the motor-compressor unit (not shown). Operation of the motor of the motorcompressor unit is under the control of the mechanism 62 which in turn includes an electric switch (not shown) for starting and stopping the motor of said motorcompressor unit.

The breaker strip 18 and temperature control mechanism 62 are designed to be readily assembled with each other and with the inner liner 12 and outer shell 11 of the refrigerator cabinet. For example, the parts are so constructed that the knob 72 and dial 80 may be initially assembled by sleeving the edges of opening 46 in the escutcheon 44 onto the shank 47 of the knob 72, then sleeving the dial 80 onto the reduced portion 84 of the shank 47 of the knob, and finally sleeving the speed nut type of retainer ring 86 onto the reduced portion 84 of shank 47 of the knob behind the dial 80. This subassembly is then assembled with the breaker strip 18 by sleeving the edges of the opening 42 in the breaker strip 18 onto the marginal flanges 50 of the escutcheon 44 and then sleeving suitable speed nuts 60 onto the studs 56 of the escutcheon 44 in rear of said breaker strip. The bracket 64 of the temperature control mechanism 62 is then fastened to the flanges 52 and 54 of the escutcheon 44 by means of screws 68. This general assembly is then fastened to the inner liner 12 and outer shell 11 by first engaging the forked edge portion 38 of the breaker strip 18 with the flange 28 of the outer panel and thereafter engaging the hook shaped lugs 40 with the openings 30' in the flange 26 of the inner liner 12. As shown in Figure 2, the curved inner portion 18a of the breaker strip is thinner than the straight outer portion 18b thereof to provide sufficient flexibility to enable the hooked shaped lugs 40 to be engaged with the openings 30' and to thereafter yieldably maintain the desired assembled relation of said breaker strip 18 with both the inner liner l2 and outer panel 11.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A mounting device for attaching a control mechanism in an enlarged opening in a breaker strip of a refrigerator cabinet, said device comprising an escutcheon plate having a rearwardly extending marginal flange adapted to seat in the opening in the breaker strip and having an inwardly turned vertical flange at the rear edge of said rearwardly extending flange, a bracket having vertically extending flanges secured to the vertical flange of said escutcheon plate at opposite edges of said plate and adapted to support a control mechanism, said plate having an opening therethrough adapted to receive a rotatable operating member of said control mechanism.

2. A mounting device for attaching an adjustable control mechanism having a rotatable control shaft in an enlarged opening in a breaker strip of a refrigerator cabinet and for providing an indicating and operating connection to said control mechanism, said device comprising an escutcheon plate having its upper and lower edge portions turned first rearwardly to provide rearwardly extending marginal flanges and then inwardly to provide vertical downwardly and upwardly extending mechanism-supporting flanges, said rearwardly extending marginal flanges being adapted to seat within the enlarged opening in the breaker strip, a bracket having vertical flanges secured to the said mechanism-supporting flanges and adapted to support the control mechanism with its operating shaft extending toward but terminating rearwardly of said plate, said plate having a first opening in alignment with the shaft of said mechanism and a second opening offset from the first opening, an operating member having an enlarged knob forwardly of said plate and a shank extending rearwardly through said first opening and adapted to operatively engage the shaft of the control mechanism, said shank having an indicating dial non-rotatably secured thereto directly in rear of said plate and effective to prevent removal of said operating member, said dial having indicia thereon visible through said second opening to indicate the setting of said control mechanism.

3. In a refrigerator having an outer shell, an inner liner and a heat insulating breaker strip having an enlarged opening therethrough and removably mounted in spanning relationship between confronting edge portions of the shell and liner, the improvement which comprises an escutcheon plate having rearwardly extending flanges fitting within the enlarged opening in the breaker strip and vertical flanges at the rear edges of said rearwardly extending flanges, means on said escutcheon plate accessible from the rear of the breaker strip prior to assembly thereof in the refrigerator for securing said plate in the opening in the breaker str'p, means for mounting a control device at the inner side of said plate comprising a bracket fixedly attached to said vertical flanges on said plate, said plate having a circular opening therein for receiving the shank of a control knob adapted to extend rearwardly of said plate for operative connection to a control device carried by said bracket.

4. Structure as defined in claim 3 in which the circular opening has rearwardly turned edges, a control knob having a shank guidingly received in said circular opening, means at the rear of said plate secured to said shank to mount said shank permanently in said circular opening prior to assembly of the breaker strip in the refrigerator.

5. Structure as defined in claim 4 which comprises a control device secured to said bracket having an operating shaft extending forwardly and engaged by the shank of said knob.

6. An escutcheon plate adapted to be mounted in an enlarged opening in a breaker strip of a refrigerator cabinet to support a control device and an actuator for the control device thereon, said escutcheon plate having a generally vertical front wall, rearwardly extending marginal flanges on said front wall adapted to seat within the enlarged opening in the breaker strip, vertically extending flanges at the rear edges of said marginal flanges provided with means for supporting an actuating device thereon, the vertical front wall of said plate having an opening therein provided with rearwardly turned edges for receiving and guidingly supporting the shank of a control knob adapted to be connected to the control device.

7. An escutcheon plate as defined in claim 6 comprising in combination a knob having a reduced shank extending through the opening in the vertical front wall of said plate, fastening means sleeved on said shank rearwardly of said plate and engaging the edges of the rearwardly turned edges of the opening.

8. An escutcheon plate as defined in claim 7 in which the vertical front wall thereof is provided with a second opening, and in which the fastening means sleeved on said shank at the rear of the escutcheon plate includes a dial having indicia thereon visible through the second opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 563,407 Perkins July 7, 1896 1,343,109 Byerly June 8, 1920 2,294,686 Newman Sept. 1, 1942 2,301,020 Dailey Nov. 3, 1942 2,339,904 Almquist Jan. 25, 1944 2,341,924 Kruck Feb. 15, 1944 2,463,999 Saunders Mar. 8, 1949 2,477,055 Gifiard July 26, 1949 2,506,505 Jeffrey May 2, 1950 2,618,723 Mahafl'ay Nov. 18, 1952 

